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Home > Spreadsheet or Paper - Which One Should I Choose?

Spreadsheet or Paper - Which One Should I Choose?

December 14th, 2010 at 02:19 am

I have a couple of spreadsheets on my computer that I am going to use to keep track of our bills/income/etc. for 2011. I've never used spreadsheets to keep track of our money before. But in an effort to be more organized I am going to give it a try. I looked at Mint.com. But I am not sure I want to put all my financial information online like that. I don't really feel secure doing that.

In addition to the spreadsheets, I have created a notebook that I am going to keep our finances in. It's actually a 3 ring folder. I printed off 12 blank calendars for each month of the year 2011. On each calendar I am going to write down paydays, when bills are due and how much they are, and I am going to keep note of target goal dates for specific financial goals I have for 2011. I like the idea of keeping our information on the computer. But I also love to write on physical paper. Maybe by the end of 2011 or sooner, I will have a preference. But for now I am keeping record on paper and on the computer.

I have $265 to deposit to our long term savings today. But before I make a deposit I'm going to see what else I can add to it to make it a bigger deposit.
The holiday season is busy for me with my work. It's nice to get the extra money but it is so tiring. I'll actually be glad when I can slow down even though I won't have the extra money. Right now we are beefing up our account through the month of January. In January/February, DH and I are going to start paying down our bills. I guess we are doing our version of what Dave Ramsey suggested. We are trying to get some money in savings first. I like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman. Ultimately, I would like to have one year's worth of an emergency fund.

Posted in Personal Finance, Saving Money | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “Spreadsheet or Paper - Which One Should I Choose?”

  1. Ima saver Says:
    December 14th, 2010 at 02:22 pm 1292336535
    1292336535

    I have always kept track of everything on paper, but then i started doing this long before computers became common. I still keep track on paper.

  2. HouseHopeful Says:
    December 14th, 2010 at 03:18 pm 1292339914
    1292339914

    I track in a spreadsheet... but sometimes I also have paper tracking that i use until I can update the spreadsheet Wink

    As for Dave Ramsey/savings - are you planning on following his step for the $1k Efund? Are you going to modify the plan & have a few months worth of expenses in there? Either way is a good plan, I'm just curious about which you're going for Smile

  3. Aleta Says:
    December 14th, 2010 at 03:57 pm 1292342243
    1292342243

    I also do mine on paper. There are things that I want to do on the computer that is difficult. My son which is an accountant says that for what I want to do is best on paper but time consuming.

  4. Petunia 100 Says:
    December 14th, 2010 at 06:09 pm 1292350191
    1292350191

    I recently began using Mint, and thus far I really like it. I do have my mortgage and future value of my nest egg calculations set up on spreadsheets. But my Bill Book is paper. I have kept a Bill Book since I was 20 or so, and it has helped me with organization immensely. It doesn't really help with spending, though. (Spending is my biggest problem).

  5. OceanBlue Says:
    December 16th, 2010 at 02:59 am 1292468350
    1292468350

    HouseHopeful - My plan is to get a little more than $1,000 in savings. I actually want to pay down debt and save at the same time. I know some say to pay down debt before concentrating on saving, but I also need to be able to sleep better at night. I feel comfortable having a little more than $1,000 in savings.

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